Thursday, December 4, 2014

2015 Golden Globes Preview and Predictions

Is it just me, or has December/awards season really snuck
up on us? Anyway, the Golden Globes nominations are coming quick, and here are
my sarcastic commentary and over-my-head predictions for how the Hollywood Foreign
Press Association will vote this year. Read up!

BEST SUPPORTING
ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES, MINISERIES, OR TV MOVIE

Explanation: We
all know that the HFPA loves big movies, and even though Lego was star-studded and a box office smash, Big Hero 6 just seems like the type of material (Marvel) that is
the flavor of the month. How to Train
Your Dragon 2 will probably get in, but I just can’t figure out where.

Explanation: They
normally vote in favor of the name directors (Clint Eastwood’s Letters from Iwo Jima appeared in this category
back in 2006, as was Angelina Jolie’s In
the Land of Blood and Honey in 2011), and they love international stars.
The Dardennes have Marion Cotillard in their critical hit, which should be
enough to take the award. But hey, this is the hardest category to predict for
any awards circuit.

BEST ORIGINAL
SONG

1. “Lost Stars” – Begin
Again

2. “Everything is Awesome” – The Lego Movie

3. “Masterpiece” – Beyond
the Lights

4. “The Last Goodbye” – The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
5. “Glory” – Selma

Explanation: I
would try to justify these, but it would be pointless. It is basically random,
but I would be shocked if the top two are ignored.

BEST ORIGINAL
SCORE

1. The Theory of
Everything­ – Johann Johannsson

2. Gone Girl –
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross

3. Big Eyes –
Danny Elfman

4. Interstellar
– Hans Zimmer
5. Maleficent – James Newton Howard

Explanation: They
love the big names, but there is always a wild card in the mix. Maleficent might be that wildcard, and
history shows that they give their wins to movies that sometimes don’t even get
nominated anywhere else. It is hard to ignore the beauty of The Theory of Everything’s music,
though.

Explanation: The
HFPA loves putting a screwball into this category, but the top movies are just
too great of screenplays to not put in there. Plus, there isn’t a legitimate random
romantic-comedy or anything.

Explanation: This
seems pretty standard, and they love Jolie. She won three years in a row in different
categories from 1997-1999. Eastwood is the only real shocker, but his movie
will be popular and the Globes still can’t get enough of him.

The HFPA Dream Lineup:

Tim Burton – Big
Eyes

Clint Eastwood – American
Sniper

Peter Jackson – The
Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Angelina Jolie – Unbroken

Christopher Nolan – Interstellar

BEST ACTRESS IN
A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

1. Meryl Streep – Into
the Woods

2. Patricia Arquette – Boyhood

3. Emma Stone – Birdman

4. Anna Kendrick – Into
the Woods
5. Cameron Diaz – Annie

Explanation: Seemingly,
Streep is nominated whether she has a movie being released or not. Diaz is a
weird addition, I know, but they do love her. She was nominated 4 times between
1998 and 2002. If Annie is any good,
then she might be a no-brainer for the Globes.

The HFPA Dream
Lineup:

Cameron Diaz – Annie

Jane Fonda – This
Is Where I Leave You

Kristen Stewart – Still
Alice

Meryl Strep – The
Giver

Meryl Streep – Into
the Woods

BEST ACTOR IN A
SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

1. JK Simmons – Whiplash

2. Edward Norton – Birdman

3. Johnny Depp – Into
the Woods

4. Robert Duvall – The
Judge
5. Albert Brooks – A Most Violent Year

Explanation: Usually,
this category is pretty similar to the other awards, unless there is something
absurd like Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder
or John Travolta in Hairspray in the
running. Depp is nominated always. Brooks is really just a stab.

The HFPA Dream
Lineup:

Matt Damon – Interstellar

Johnny Depp – Into
the Woods

Shia LaBeouf – Fury

Tyler Perry – Gone
Girl

Chris Pine – Into
the Woods

BEST ACTRESS IN
A LEADING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY/MUSICAL

1. Julianne Moore – Maps
to the Stars

2. Angelina Jolie – Maleficent

3. Helen Mirren – The
Hundred-Foot Journey

4. Keira Knightley – Begin
Again
5. Jenny Slate – Obvious Child

Explanation: This
category, with the exception of their thirst for stars, has a tendency to put
an indie or two in there. Greta Gerwig was nominated for Frances Ha last year, so Jenny Slate takes that potential spot.
Moore might be set to win two awards, like Kate Winslet was back in 2008,
mainly because of the HFPA’s obsession with David Cronenberg.

Explanation: This
would be a really interesting group. The Comedy/Musical actor category is
always strong. It is hard to completely leave out musical contenders Mark
Ruffalo, John Lloyd Young, and James Corden, but these stars in strong films
are too hard to get by.

The HFPA Dream
Lineup:

Jim Carrey – Dumb
and Dumber To

Jamie Foxx – Annie

Bill Murray – St.
Vincent

Al Pacino – The
Humbling

Chris Pratt – Guardians
of the Galaxy

BEST MOTION
PICTURE – COMEDY/MUSICAL

1. Into the Woods

2. Birdman

3. Inherent Vice

4. Jersey Boys
5. Guardians of the Galaxy

Explanation: The
Globes love to even out the musicals and comedies, and the musicals almost always
win. This would be a cool list, and Jersey
Boys gets in because it is Eastwood. Superhero movies have yet to really
been embraced, but none have fully embellished in its comedy like Guardians.

Explanation: Johansson
would be the one real surprise, but like Diaz and Jolie, the HFPA simply loves
her. She was nominated 4 times between 2003 and 2005. Moore is really set up
for a sweep, and she deserves it. It is a shame that she has never won an Oscar
or a Globe in the film categories. Why not give her two?

The HFPA Dream
Lineup:

Anne Hathaway – Interstellar

Scarlett Johansson – Under
the Skin

Jennifer Lawrence – The
Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1

Reese Witherspoon – Wild

Shailene Woodley – The
Fault in Our Stars

BEST ACTOR IN A
LEADING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

1. Steve Carell – Foxcatcher

2. Bradley Cooper – American
Sniper

3. Brad Pitt – Fury

4. Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
5. David Oyelowo – Selma

Explanation: Carell
is a past winner at the Globes, and his transformative performance seems like a
safe bet for the Drama category. Pitt is nominated consistently. International
actors are also popular here, so leaving off Eddie Redmayne, Timothy Spall, and
Jack O’Connell was difficult.

The HFPA Dream
Lineup:

Bradley Cooper – American
Sniper

Robert Downey Jr. – The
Judge

Matthew McConaughey – Interstellar

Brad Pitt – Fury

Channing Tatum – Foxcatcher

BEST MOTION
PICTURE – DRAMA

1. Unbroken

2. Gone Girl

3. Boyhood

4. Interstellar
5. A Most Violent Year

Explanation: This
is a really loaded category, and once again, the international movies might
have to take a back seat. These seem pretty secure, with the exception of newly
minted NBR Best Picture A Most Violent
Year, which no one has really seen yet. It will be a fight between box
office megahit Gone Girl, indie Boyhood, and Jolie’s war epic Unbroken for the top prize.

The HFPA Dream
Lineup:

American Sniper

Fury

Gone Girl

The Hobbit: The
Battle of the Five Armies

Interstellar

There they are! Anyone who has any input or expertise,
feel free to speak up. I only do this one for fun. I don’t follow it nearly as
closely as the Oscars. Comment below!